Evaluations
The Portuguese legacy on Brazil’s demography has both beneficial and negative as it has resulted in one of the most racially mixed and diverse countries in the world, which has subsequently produced a dynamic culture infused with a variety of racial roots. However, this legacy has also been detrimental to society as deeply ingrained racism is very much present in the country today, albeit hidden at times and rarely discussed (Webb). Although there has never been formal segregation, it is clear to see that the favelas, or slums in large cities, are predominated by darker-skinned individuals (Webb). In addition, White Brazilians have the majority of higher-paying jobs and primarily frequent the nation’s universities. The myth of the racial democracy, which states that Brazil does not have racism or race-based problems, is simply untrue, and racism has been present ever since the day the Portuguese colonized Brazil (Hasenbalg, Huntington 136). The Portuguese legacy on the economy has been mostly negative, as it has
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According the CIA World Factbook, Brazil has a GINI Coefficient, a key measure of social inequality, of 49.7 and ranks as the 19th most unequal country in the world (CIA World Factbook). The social inequality in Brazil has been partially caused by extraction started by the Portuguese during the colonial period as a minority reaped the benefits, while the majority suffered the consequences. The Portuguese legacy on education has been negative as well as the wealthier members of the population continue to be the ones that experience a much higher quality education in comparison to the rest of the population, which also accounts for social inequality. The absence of the concept of universal public education has also been part of the historical legacy that has affected the country in a negative way, as even though it has recently been implemented, parents do not comprehend its value and do not send their children to school
Professor Henry Louis Gates’ “Brazil: A Racial Paradise”, a documentary that focuses on the Afro-Brazilian population of Brazil, explored and exposed the concept of Racial Democracy; touted by the Brazilian government, it’s influence is largely overrated. (“Brazil: A Racial Paradise”, Black In Latin America, 2011, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Broadcasting Service, Web) While the institution of Racial Democracy has brought upon a certain amount of integration between Brazil and its 75 million Afro-Brazilians, the not so distant past-coupled with the realities of modern day racism-has left Afro-Brazilians alienated and discriminated against by mainstream society. However, since the abolition of slavery in 1888, coupled with the declaration of a Racial Democracy in the 1930’s and the leadership of influential Afro-Brazilians, Brazil has been quietly successful, albeit
Brazil is one of the most visited place in the world and also one of the most diverse countries in the world. More than 75millon people of African decent live in Brazil, this makes it the second largest black population in the world. Its attracts a large number of people because of it architecture, slums and rainforest. Brazil is contradictory because its was the last country to abolish slavery but also the first to claim that it was a racial democracy. Most people might not know that Brazil has its racial problems and that it has been going on for a long time. Brazilian race relations and conceptions of race are somewhat different from the United States. In Brazil most African descendents are people live in
In the sectioned of the pamphlet entitled “Superiority of mixed races”, Brazil was believed to be a country where the people were miscegenated, to further support the idea of mixing in the United States. However, the attitudes of race mixing in both countries were significantly different. Brazil has always been a black and mixed blood populated society, whereas the United States had always been white blood dominated compared to its black population. This paper will compare the differences of race mixing in the United States and Brazil after the American Civil War.
The purpose of this paper is to recognize, study and analyze the race relations in Brazil. Race relations are relations between two groups of different races; it is how these two different races connect to each other in their environment. Since Brazil is racially diverse, this study is focused on how Brazilians relate to each other. Throughout the essay, it will become clear that there exists a conflict between two race groups. Afro-Brazilians and White-Brazilians are not connected and though these two groups converse with each other, discrimination still lies within the society. This discrimination has created inequality within the society for Afro-Brazilians. Thus, this paper will not only focus on racism and discrimination that
Over the past several decades there has been an increase, in Brazil, of people whom self-identify as being black or Afro-Brazilian. What sparked the rise in these identities in Brazil? Was it possible material and intellectual gains or, sparked from activism, or from other possible factors. The black movement and affirmation of “black” identity came about much later in Brazil than in other countries such as the United States. In my opinion the most important factors for the rise in these identities are the material gains from the Quilombo Clause, the effects of affirmative action and quotas, as well as social activism.
After the failure to keep Afro-Brazilians subjugated through immigration policies, the white elites’ utilized their power over RSAs to further instill “racial democracy” in order to blind Brazilians the persevering existence of the racial hierarchy. To further whiten the Brazilian population, the 1940s census erased its race question in favor for a more “Brazilian race” to convey a false sense of non-conflicted racial intermingling and racial democracy. In reality, it served as a “barometer for how Negroes and Indians are continuing to disappear… and that Brazil is taking from old Europe – citadel of the white races” (Hernández 68). Realizing the danger of the state’s decision,
Pagano’s article forms a valid argument that the recognition of race-based differences could be deemed “racist”, by proving that citizens in Brazil predominantly believe that African American citizens have better health than Caucasian citizens simply due to historical events such as
Humans are a very unique species, as Ed Glaser says, “humans are a social species who gets more intelligent by being around other people” (Glaser 2014). However, when a group of very different people are put into a room and asked to solve a problem, there will be conflicts as every individual has their own opinion. So, do cities bring out the best and worst in human condition? Yes, because there are pros and cons with cities and how they affect our communities.
Overall, based on a 1995 national survey, the results indicated that white was the most common category chosen, holding a 42%, while 32% of the population considered themselves morenos (brown). And despite their absence in the census categories, the terms Moreno and negro are central to the racial terminology and racial perspectives in Brazilians. According to Telles, these two terms increasingly capture a tension between a traditional Brazil of racial ambiguity with its presumed inclusion of nonwhites and a modern Brazil characterized by widely recognized racial exclusions and growing racial affirmation and resistance. The term Moreno is emblematic o the fluidity of the traditional Brazilian system, while Negro seeks to rescue pride in a black identity, which has long been stigmatized. Overall this chapter served to demonstrate that Brazilians clearly make racial or color distinctions that are necessarily delimited by cultural characteristics of those in particular racial
Northeast Brazil is one of the poorest areas in a country where there is an incredibly great divide between the wealthy and the poor. Similar to the situation in the United States, many impoverished families are caught in a cycle where being born into poverty means your resources are less accessible than that of someone born into money. As a result, the young people remain impoverished throughout their lives and have children that face the same struggle continuing the cycle.. Education is one of the critical resources that may be able to assist in removing someone from an impoverished situation. Unfortunately, in places with a large population of poor, the school systems tend to be in poor condition or non-existent.
The IMF found that intense income inequality is also accompanied by “resource misallocation, corruption, and nepotism”. Since people will seek favored treatment, income inequality can also oppose civil unity and trust in the future. Moreover, the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expressed that “econometric analysis suggests that income inequality has a sizeable and statistically significant negative impact on growth.” The OECD’s findings were based on a report titled “In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits Us All”. John Schmitt, the Research Director for the Washington Center for Economic Growth, summarized the OECD’s findings stating, “The new report finds that between 1990 and 2010 gross domestic product per person in 19 core OECD countries grew by a total of 28 percent, but would have grown by 33 percent over the same period if inequality had not increased after 1985. This estimate is based on an econometric analysis of 31 high- and middle-income OECD countries, which concluded that lowering inequality by just one ‘Gini-point’ (a standard measure of inequality used by economists) would raise the annual growth rate of GDP by 0.15 percentage points”. “Latin America’s new college graduates are inferior to other countries, because they receive poor elementary and high school education, which
During the 20th century, Latin America was experiencing a rise in the left due to social inequality. The political left was committed to socialism. Social protests paved the way for the rise to power left. Chileans found themselves without work and ideal living standards due to boom and bust cycles and military dictatorship.
The definition of gender expectations within Brazilian society have evolved over time to suit the needs and interests of the political elite. While the Victorian ideals of the colonial period echoed its European counterparts, gender expectations of the early and mid-20th century drew their shape from the intellectual and political objectives of the military regime. While the transformation of gender norms within Brazilian history illustrates the malleability of social categories, we can understand through an analysis of historical markers, that gender norms within Brazil continue to be shaped by the interests and objectives of
Brazil is known for being a country for great economic inequality, so it is quite shocking that there are so many people paying for plastic surgeries. It seems like everyone from celebrities, models, to working-class women, to maids are getting plastic surgeries. In the book we learn that Brazil offers state subsidized surgeries to people. Surgeons believe that everyone has the right to be beautiful and to be shaped into someone beautiful. They want everyone to have the chance to spend their money into becoming someone
The article In Denial Over Racism in Brazil the author writes about racial inequality which is currently present and has obvious historical roots in Brazil; Slavery in Brazil lasted for approximately three centuries, from the start of the 16th century to the mid-19th, a period during which five million slaves were shipped Africa to Brazil which is about eleven times more compared to North America. In this article, three Afro-Brazilian children who were joking and playing in the streets of Palmeirinha during an electrical shortage and innocently shot and assaulted by police, then falsely accused of being a threat. Although Afro-Brazilians currently make up about 53% of the population in Brazil, children ages 12 to 18 are three times more likely